Devendra’s Burson Conductor GT4 with Meze Empyrean II

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The sound quality is absolutely outstanding! The clarity, depth, and balance of the audio are remarkable. Every detail feels crisp and precise, whether it’s the subtle nuances in the highs or the rich, full-bodied lows. It’s the kind of sound that pulls you in and makes every listening experience feel immersive. Truly impressive performance all around!

The System

Listening with

Meze Empyrean II · Headphones: open-back, planar magnetic (Rinaro Isodynamic Hybrid Array), circumaural
  • Impedance: 32 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 90 dB SPL / mW @ 1 kHz ≈ 104.9 dB/V (calc.)
  • Frequency response: 8 Hz – 110 kHz
  • Plugs / cables supplied: dual 4-pin mini-XLR cup sockets; mini-XLR to 6.3 mm cable
  • Other: max SPL >130 dB

Matching notes: At 32 Ω and 90 dB/mW, the Meze Empyrean II is a low-impedance load, and a fairly demanding one: about 1.8 V (100 mW, 56 mA) for 110 dB SPL (calc.). Burson rates the Conductor GT4 at 10 W (XLR) / 5 W (SE) into 32 Ω, which is about 17.9 V / 12.6 V RMS (calc.), roughly 20 dB / 17 dB more than that. The Conductor GT4’s 0.5 Ω headphone output impedance is 1/64 of the load. [1] [2] [3]

Burson

Burson Conductor GT4 · DAC / headphone amplifier / preamp
  • Output power (XLR / SE): 32 Ω 10 W / 5 W · 100 Ω 5 W / 2.5 W · 150 Ω 3 W / 1.5 W · 300 Ω 2 W / 1 W
  • Output impedance: 0.5 Ω (headphone); 1 Ω (pre out); 25 Ω (DAC out)
  • Output voltage: RCA 2 V (DAC out) · XLR 4 V (DAC out); pre out max 12 V RMS
  • Gain: 2 levels: High full power (XLR 10 W / SE 5 W), Low 10% (IEM); dB not published
  • Inputs: 2x XLR; 2x RCA; USB (XMOS; PCM to 768 kHz/32-bit, native DSD512); Toslink; coaxial (24/192); Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD; microphone
  • Input impedance: 40 kΩ
  • Input sensitivity: line level (24-bit/192 kHz ADC on analogue inputs)
  • Outputs: headphone 6.35 mm / 4-pin XLR / 3.5 mm; XLR + RCA pre out; subwoofer pre out; XLR + RCA line (DAC) out
  • DAC / chipset: 2x ESS9038 (one chip per channel; suffix not published)
  • Other: THD <0.0015%; FR ±1 dB 0-58 kHz; versions: Standard (V6 Vivid, SP01, 24V5A) / Deluxe (V7 Vivid, SP02, Super Charger 5A) / Max (+Fusion Core 24V)

[2] [3]

Also in the system

Marantz Model 30

Specs from manufacturer data unless a source below says otherwise. “calc.” values are worked out from those figures (V = √(P × R); 110 dB SPL used as a loud reference level). Gear listed without specs is not in our spec library yet.

  1. Meze Empyrean II: mezeaudio.com
  2. Burson Conductor GT4 product page
  3. Burson Conductor GT4 User Manual V1.2 (Burson downloads)